Apple may allow third-party app stores on iOS in the future
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple’s software and services teams are redesign the platform to “open key elements.” This could lead to the company giving iPhone and iPad users the option to download third-party apps without going through the App Store. Developers can then avoid the company’s infamous 30- and 15-percent commission on payments.
It could be to prepare for the European Union’s . The law calls for interoperability between messaging platforms and equal access for outside developers to core operating system features, as well as allowing sideloading — the ability to install on a device outside of official app stores. Apple insists this would be a security and privacy risk. US lawmakers are pursuing the Digital Markets Act, but their version, the Open App Markets Act, has yet to pass.
Messaging can also be an uphill battle. RCS integration in iMessage is currently off the table. Google pushed the messaging protocol for years, going so far as to criticize Apple for not adopting it. Apple’s past responses have even included telling a reporter to .
– Matt Smith
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The biggest stories you might have missed
But the HFR technology remains divisive.
As a sequel to the highest grossing film – the original Avatar was criticized for its formulaic story (and the small impact it had on pop culture) – the new movie is a genuine surprise, according to Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar. It’s a riveting epic that eschews the choppy dialogue of the first film. From a technical perspective, James Cameron probably made the best high frame rate (HFR) movie ever. Certain scenes play at 48 frames per second, giving them a smoother and more realistic sheen compared to the standard 24 fps. This results in incredibly immersive 3D action scenes in the running time of three hours and twelve minutes.
Read on.
Scientists achieve fusion ignition, a major milestone in clean energy production
This is a breakthrough, but the technology is still years away from deployment.
A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created the first known fusion reaction with a net energy gain—that is, it produced more energy than it consumed and led to ignition. On December 5, the researchers achieved the feat when they used 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility to blast a cylinder containing frozen hydrogen surrounded by diamond.
The reaction, which generated a flurry of X-rays, hit a fuel pellet of deuterium and tritium with 2.05 megajoules of energy. This resulted in a wave of neutron particles and 3.15 megajoules of output. The gain was “only” equivalent to about 1.5 pounds of TNT, but it was enough to meet the criteria for fusion ignition.
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There are also some other games.
Amazon is offering Prime Gaming members a bundle of PC games later this month at no extra cost. Along with a few Metal Slug titles, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection and some others, you can Arkane Studios’ Dishonor 2 between December 27 and January 3.
It is not yet clear whether Amazon will offer the title through Steam, the Epic Games Store, or the Amazon Games app. However, it’s worth noting that Steam Deck doesn’t support this game, if that was your plan. And if you have a Netflix sub, the streaming service offers some as well.
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Measures in the House and Senate would also block other social apps from China and Russia.
Members of the and have set up corresponding accounts to block transactions of any social media company in or influenced by China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Venezuela. The ANTISOCIAL CCP Act (to prevent the national threat of internet surveillance, oppressive censorship and influence, and algorithmic learning by the Chinese Communist Party – spicy) seeks to block access to TikTok and other apps that could theoretically tip US user data to oppressive governments, censor news or otherwise manipulate the public.
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